The Simple Always
I love this picture.
Poor Jake is tackling homework he was assigned, but not I. The lucky grownup in this picture is learning for the sheer, intentional joy of it.
It was a free webinar. I have some warring principles at play in my little, dreaming heart. I want to learn everything I can about creating the life I want, and that takes investment. But, "I will not have debt," is written in black and white on my page of personal truths, and I mean it. So no matter how many shiny self-made entrepreneurs online convince me their expensive course will finally make all my dreams come true, I don't buy. Not right now. Life is a delicate tension between the things we want, the things we believe, and the right decision for now. And for right now, my precious, day job-earned money is spoken for. And, fortunately, there are plenty of very-specific steps I can take toward my dreams that are totally and completely free.
It costs nothing for me to open my laptop each night and write. (That is, it takes nothing but grit and chutzpah.)
So, that's an easy one.
Shiny entrepreneurs, it's good to take risks, you have to invest in your dream, I Will Not Have Debt. I pick the simple always - the one that gets to win every time, and I hang on for dear life.
Ideally, I can find the simple always for other things, too. When deciding how to spend my time, Create Every Day wins. How I behave at work is based on spiritual convictions like kindness and my John-Thomas-inspired personal brand: artistry, communication, and sincerity. If the task does not fit into the brand, I struggle with it, maybe even find a way to say no. If my immediate reaction doesn't fit under kindness and service, I apologize (it happens sometimes). And apologies so do fit under kindness and the brand.
I'm not much of a rule-follower really, not when it comes to personality type. But for my peace of mind and my happiness, each decision these days is guided by a simple always I created in the space between the decisions. You gotta try it, really. It helps.